Happy New Year’s Eve !

Well, the New Year is upon us.

I have to say that I haven’t reviewed 2011 to see what I have learned.

Nor have I had a deep thought time about what I wish to focus on in 2012.

I am kind of living in the moment right now.

And man, does it feel good.

Enjoying the down time with my husband being home.

Primping the castle a little bit here and there.

Soaking up the furry kid love.

I am excited about ringing in the New Year at our house, with our friends, Lois and Mike, at our Fondue Dinner/Games Night Celebration.

The time for contemplation will come later in January, I think.

But for now,

in this very moment,

I am so very grateful for this sweet life full of beauty and love that I am living.

So here’s to this New Year’s Eve Day, Beautiful Ones,

and may the New Year bring us all much, much more good Being !

Cheers and big Love !

Share the Joy of Christmas !

My Christmas visit back home to Canada was full of incredible moments of joy !

I received a beautiful gift from my friend Suzanne who gave the Chica-dog a cozy and fun place to stay over the weekend.

I sat in an old wooden church lit with candles and sang along with Christmas hymns and carols with all the joy in my heart.

I got to watch the joy of the kiddos opening gifts from Santa, and others who love them to bits !

I got to see my beautiful 20 year old niece, Jessica, shine so brightly with the glow of her first real love.

I witnessed a family come together in action, patience and kindness when the amazingly beautiful 13 pound rib roast almost hit the floor and the cooking juices spilled all over the kitchen.

I, as always when I go home, felt the joy of how beautiful my family is and how we love each other so well, in spite of our differences and our imperfections.

I felt the peace of having my life partner, my best friend and my Love beside me through it all, appreciating and soaking in the joy himself.

I even witnessed a little Christmas miracle when my frozen windshield washer fluid that had been stuck for two days, started to flow just after I had silently prayed it would, and exactly when I so needed it to on the slush-filled highway!

And the sweetest of all the joy-filled moments and my most memorable gift of Christmas 2011 was given to me my this little guy who eats from my sister Kristina’s bird feeder in the gorgeous cedar in her front yard :

This precious little creature trusted me enough to land in my hand and eat sunflower seeds from my finger tips!

I cannot tell you how thrilled, touched and awed I was by this simple moment.

It is going to live in my heart forever, I think.

This joyous Christmas time reminded me once more that when you start to notice and celebrate the small moments of joy in your life, they increase exponentially ! They really do !

And what could be sweeter than a life full of JOY to share ?

I wish you beautiful moments of joy and celebration, my Friends.

Big, big love !

 

More joy at Meri’s Musings…

Haiku My Heart–A Joyful Wish

In Joy, I wish you

Love, Light, Peace in all seasons,

And for all of time.

Merry Christmas, Beautiful Ones !

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More Haiku and Holiday Love at recuerda mi corazon.

Choosing JOY !

When you walk up to my door

you will find the same thing as if you looked into my heart.

You will find

the joy that I have created.

My holiday mantra has been “Do it with joy, or don’t do it.”

That has been a challenge every single day.

But I am arriving at the end of the holiday prep. time so much more joyful for having made that choice over and over again.

I am over-joyed with the idea of spending time with my family and friends during the holidays.

I am joyful about the gifts and the giving that I have done wherever, and however I can.

I am filled with joy and gratitude at the abundance of all that David and I have.

We really need for nothing.

Most of all, the joy that comes from the amazing amount of Love that I have in my life is filling my heart, and I know it is shining outwards to be shared.

In Joy, I wish you Love, Light and Peace

in all seasons,

and for all time, Beautiful Ones.

 

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Share more joy at Meri’s Musings.

Loving my winter weekend…

I had a very cozy weekend spent mostly in sweats.

The wrapping got done.

A big pot of chili was made.

Some books got read.

( I am reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran, and David is reading Inheritance by Christopher Paolini).

Naps were savored.

And furry pets happily hung out with the two of us, basking the in the glow of our pretty Christmas tree.

I also managed to do a couple of art journal pages.

It is taking some time to get back into the flow of making pages regularly.

I am feeling a little rusty.

But it also feels so good to get back to this practice. I missed it !

A kind of doodle page.

This figure emerged from a blob shape I drew in pencil on an old dictionary page.

Love those intuitive exercises. Especially when I am feeling rusty in my creative process.

This little sad-looking girlie reminds me of something out of a Tim Burton cartoon or something…

The second piece was all about my quest to keep the light around me wherever I can in these darkest of December days.

I played with some spray inks and a Crafter’s Workshop Sunburst Stencil to create this page.

I love the Maiori quote.

Going to keep those shadows behind me…

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Lots of stuff to do today.

Post office,

grocery shopping,

one last gift to buy,

and meditation class tonight.

I hope you have a light-filled Monday, Beautiful Ones !

Shine on !

Haiku My Heart–Throw Light On Your World

In You, a bright flame.

Shine it from the inside out.

Throw Light on your World.

 

I know that the contrast between light and dark is at its most intense at this time of year.

And perhaps, the contrast is most intense at this time of our world as well.

What continues to amaze me is how the opportunities to shine Light in the darkness keep rising up to meet us where we are.

I believe it is our Soul’s job on Earth.

Let’s do it well !

Shine that glorious Love Light, Beautiful Ones.

More Haiku My Heart light can be found at recuerda mi corazon

Share the Joy Thursday : Making a List…

This week was a real mixture of joy and sorrow, easy and hard.

A dear friend lost her Mom.

Another loved one’s husband got laid off.

December is so very dark, and many I know, including myself, find that adjustment very difficult.

The holidays often bring up lots of bitter sweet emotions that we have to feel,  and then let go of.

I was also feeling low physically for most of the week.

But making a list of what brought me joy truly does help to comfort achy spots.

So here goes:

A JOY list for the week on December 12, 2011 :

Art Journal time taken. Yay !

Christmas cactus blooming right on time !

Christmas shopping underway, and going relatively stress-free.

Even included a few little gifties for myself !

(A puzzle for the deep, dark, January evenings. Thanks to my friends, Kim and Riley, who reminded me of my love of puzzles this past summer !)

A couple’s dinner at my friends, Lois and Mike’s, house that included great conversation, laughter and an exchange of handmade goodies. I love my owl, Lo !

My pets never fail to bring me moments of sweet joy, just by being around.

How’s this for a silly portrait portrait of my 8 year old puppy, Chica  ?

(Leave me a caption for what you think she might be saying if you are inspired to add to the joy to the week !)

It was also a joy to see the Christmas decorations that have been stored away for a year come out of their boxes.

Certain ones made me feel really nostalgic this year. Many have been around for 11 years or so, since David and I celebrated our first Christmas together.

Like this one, that is a favorite of my friend, Suzanne, who is celebrating her birthday today !

Love you, Suzy !

Happy and joyful Holidays to you, Beautiful Ones !

Much love !

More joy at Meri’s Musings

Abiding…

I should be out Christmas shopping since I really haven’t started yet.

But I am not feeling very well physically today.

Tired, achy, lacking energy.

I decided to PLAY instead.

Man, it feels good to lose yourself for a few hours in the paper, paint, color, flow…

Here is my art journal page for today, December 14, 2011.

I hope you find ways to give yourself what you need today, Beautiful Ones.

Big Love !

Holiday Preparations…

Before :

After :

David and I opted for a table top tree this year.

A little less maintenance and a lot less cat adventures.

It, of course, had to have our favorite ornaments on it,

like this puppy we got the same year Chica came to live with us.

Or this fat angel cat, black, to remind me of my best cat ever, Georgie.

I love that the tree has my handmade touches too, like these paper love birds.

And that it is topped with something David and I created together; this stained glass star.

Little traditions that make the holiday decorating feel like home.

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I was a little awed this morning by the fact that it is only 11 days until Christmas Eve.

I haven’t really done any shopping yet.

But I have made a promise to myself that this year, I will do my very best to take the stress out of the holiday.

My Christmas 2012 mantra is “Do it with Joy, or don’t do it at all !”

It has helped a great deal when I have completely taken the focus off of trying to find the people I love “the best gift ever” which I used to do in the past. Instead, I am thinking of little things that will make them smile, and let them know I love them. This feels so much better !

So I know it will all get done however it gets done, and that will be okay.

The important thing for me this season is to have a chance to put my arms around those I love and squeeze them tight.

And to bask in the joy and gratitude that we have this time together.

Now that sounds like a perfect Christmas to me !

Happy holiday preparations to you, Beautiful Ones !

May you find sweet Joy in all you do.

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Ready, Set, Go and an Etsy Shop Full

The Queen is on the move again !

My craft fair is done.

The results were not as good money-wise as I would have liked but David and I had a lot of fun with the people we met all day. We rocked it !

Now that all of that hard work is done, I am off to get some big LOVING

from some of my favorite kiddos on the planet !

Katie, Thomas and I have a date with some arts and crafts and some Christmas decorating at their house !

David will be home, taking care of the furry kids and manning the home front.

He will also be helping me out by filling any orders that come in from the Queen of Arts Studio Etsy shop.

I just added some new goodies to the shop today.

These sweet hand made clay ornaments

can reach you before the holidays and would be lovely on the tree or on a wrapped gift.

The same goes for my own favorites, theses paper love birds,

hand cut from an old French encyclopedia.

Also, some of you have been asking about having cards available with some of my original art pieces.

I have added some new ones into the shop

in both note card (4X5” on cardstock cards) and postcard format (4X6” in cello envelop ready for a note and and stamp to mail!)

And of course, bags of 13 Rock My World rocks are always available, if you want to make a special gift of them over the holiday season for someone who needs them !

So take a little peek in the Queen of Arts Studio shop if you are still working on completing that shopping list. My sweet Hubby Elf will get your order out asap !

(Thanks, David ! I love you !!!)

I won’t have a lot of access to the internet this week, but will be in touch when I get home on Friday.

Have a sweet week, Beautiful Ones !

Big Love !